Valentino, for me, never meant anything in the fashion world. It stood for luxury and opulence, but it never actually did anything. His collections were beautiful, yes, but boring and they did nothing for the progression of fashion.

I feel like someone else needs to reinterprete the brand and create something opulent and glamorous but not out dated and repetitive.

Lets face it, Valentino might make beautiful clothes but he does nothing for the evolution of fashion.

I am not Valentino's biggest fan but WHY must he move fashion forward? It was not his job to. It is the job of Prada and Balenciaga, etc to move fashion towards the next step.

Valentino's venue was classic, Hollywood glamour. In an industry where everything must be constantly reinvented to stay fresh, it takes something more to stick with one brand concept and that's what Valentino has consistently done throughout his career. He stuck to a concept that is wearable and glamorous. Is it exciting? No. But Valentino isn't expected to be,

Yes, his designs can be boring, yes it's very similar but that's Valentino, that's his image. It's not his job to shock us.

Before Oprah could afford his clothes, she always wanted something from Valentino. I wouldn't mind buying clothes from Valentino. He is the master of style and elegance. Being rich doesn't have a thing to do with it.

I am not Valentino's biggest fan but WHY must he move fashion forward? It was not his job to. It is the job of Prada and Balenciaga, etc to move fashion towards the next step.

Valentino's venue was classic, Hollywood glamour. In an industry where everything must be constantly reinvented to stay fresh, it takes something more to stick with one brand concept and that's what Valentino has consistently done throughout his career. He stuck to a concept that is wearable and glamorous. Is it exciting? No. But Valentino isn't expected to be,

Yes, his designs can be boring, yes it's very similar but that's Valentino, that's his image. It's not his job to shock us.

Damn I can't karma you But thank you for pointing this out so eloquently

Valentino's venue was classic, Hollywood glamour. In an industry where everything must be constantly reinvented to stay fresh, it takes something more to stick with one brand concept and that's what Valentino has consistently done throughout his career. He stuck to a concept that is wearable and glamorous. Is it exciting? No. But Valentino isn't expected to be,

Yes, his designs can be boring, yes it's very similar but that's Valentino, that's his image. It's not his job to shock us.

I never thought about it like that! Yes, I can see what you guys mean now.

Still, I am personally not mourning his loss. He meant nothing to me in the fashion world

Wouldn't it be funny if this was all a plot by Karl Lagerfeld to take over the [fashion] world?!?!

Could you imagine - Valentino by Karl Lagerfeld?!

possibly, that man seems like he will never retire,
whenever I think of Karl I keep having this image in my head of him still working and walking around in those tight Dior Homme pants till he finally falls over and drops dead

Was never a fan of Valentino. His contribution to fashion in recent (the past 15 years) was minimum.

But to design for that house certainly won't be easy. There's a lot of money at stake. I wonder who will be taking over? It seems obvious that Jack and Lazaro will have the job, I'm sure it's not a coincidence that Valentino Group bought a chunk of their company just months before Valentino retires. But the fashion industry is full of surprises.

Wasn't there an article a while back (year or two) where Valentino speculated on who he though would be a good replacement for him where he mentioned Tom Ford.....or was that Armani?

Anyway, I don't necessarily think that would be a bad thing. And let's not forget that what he did at Gucci was one thing, it doesn't necessarily represent what he'd do for another house. It could bring in an entirely new clientele to Valentino outside of the aristocrats and Park Ave ladies.

However, I don't see that happening any time soon with TF focusing on building his own brand. I would, however, die of shock and joy if it did turn out to be true in some freaky plot twist.

Out of the names mentioned I'd vote for Faccinetti, mainly by default since two seasons at Gucci wasn't enough to get an idea of what she's about, and I'd kind of like to see what she can really do. The Proenza boys haven't even defined their aesthetic yet, so it'd be crazy to think they could handle revitalizing an image as particular and legendary as Valentino.